Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Disney Co.’s part hotel, part immersive role-playing experience, will close in September, less than two years after opening to great fanfare, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The hotel transports visitors to the world of the popular film franchise over two nights. Guest cabins resemble a spaceship, with views of outer space projected on screens designed to mimic windows.
A family of four can spend $6,000 and more; travel agents and industry insiders say the high price contributed to weakening demand.
A Disney spokeswoman attributed the Galactic Starcruiser’s cost to the way it thoroughly immerses guests in a fantasy world. It includes expedited theme-park admission, entertainment, food and experiences like lightsaber training.
While aboard the Starcruiser, visitors interact with costumed Disney employees, completing missions on the ship. Singers dressed as aliens give performances at dinner. As part of their stay, guests also visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park, which includes Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with rides, restaurants and gift shops.
The Galactic Starcruiser opened in March 2022 after pandemic delays and allegedly cost around $350 million to build.
‘Disney took a huge gamble—a huge risk, a creative risk—and they went out there and did something that’s never been done before’, said Peter Weishar, professor and director of the themed experience programs at University of Central Florida in Orlando.
In January, Disney began canceling multiple Starcruiser “voyages,” offering to rebook people to future dates at a discount. It announced another round of cancellations in March for the latter half of 2023.
The hotel was expensive to operate in large part because of the so-called cast members who played roles in the immersive experience.